


It be like that

by zakari_little_lion



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27915166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zakari_little_lion/pseuds/zakari_little_lion
Summary: Charmaine was due back from her tour tomorrow after six month away. Excitement couldn't even begin to describe how Octavia and Hope were feeling about her homecoming.US Marine / martial art instructor AU nobody asks for
Relationships: Octavia Blake/Charmaine Diyoza
Kudos: 12





	It be like that

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my native language and this is a rather long piece so there undoubtedly are mistakes sprinkled here and there. Don't hesitate to tell me where so I can remove them and hopefully, make your reading more enjoyable :)

Heavy rain was pouring down outside. Drops rhythmically knocked the windows panes, not unlike a metronome tuned to the tempo of nature, and huge dark grey clouds blanketed the sky. Inside the living room reined a very different atmosphere, its inhabitants seemingly oblivious of the chaos unfolding outside of the comfort of their home.

Music was playing peacefully, drowning out the gloomy sound of the rain and filling the room up with liveliness and cheeriness instead. The fireplace was lit, the dancing flames cast a charismatic glow throughout the room as well as heated the house up. Every few often, the logs would crackle softly, but it was white noise to now seasoned ears.

Hope, Octavia and Bellamy were fervently doing their utmost best to decorate a “Welcome home!” sign. Charmaine’s plane was due to arrive at the airport tomorrow at thirty two past five PM on the dot and Octavia and Hope would assuredly be waiting for her at the terminal, welcome sign in hands and wide excited grins etched on their faces to greet their favorite United States Marine Corps’ Colonel after almost six whole months of separation.

Glitters, colorful pens, rounded end school scissors, craft paper and glue were littering the coffee table as well as the carpet, surrounding them. The trio had long migrated from the couch to instead sit directly on the floor. It offered an easier access to the supplies and also greatly lessened the risk of Hope inadvertently putting ink all over the furniture. Furthermore, given how messy and bodily expressive they could get when together, it decreased the chances of things being knocked over and/or spilled everywhere. Octavia was really not looking forward to hunting glitters down from her rug for the next few weeks.

Hope was sitting on Bellamy’s laps, her tongue sticking out from her mouth in great focus as she was carefully scattering some more glitters in the top right corner with her uncle’s help. Octavia was no less busy, filling in the letters spelling HOME. She had been at it for quite some time now and her wrist was slightly burning from the boring and small repetitive motion. She felt like she was coloring her life away. There was no way she was ever letting her brother draw the letters again. That man had obviously no idea what letter sizing was within the realm of acceptable.

“I think we’re almost done, little one,” Octavia said as she finally finished coloring the letter E after what had felt like a lifetime. “One last word to fill in and it’s not the least. What color should I do MAMA in?” she asked the child, showing her a large array of colorful crayons.

“Mmmh,” she furrowed her eyebrows at the choices. “What’s mama’s favorite color?”

“Green.”

“Like our eyes!” her chipper tone, genuine surprise and overall joyful face had the two adults smiling.

“Why else do you think that that is so, munchkin?” Bellamy chuckled. “Those bright green eyes of yours are without the shadow of a doubt the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. They truly are irresistible,” he whispered in her ear as if was telling her a secret. “Why do you think you’re my favorite niece?”

He bounced the girl on his knees and playfully tickled her sides. Hoped squirmed around happily to escape his devilish fingers, her childish chuckles blending right in with the smooth symphony already created by the crackling and popping fire and the background music.

A dopey smile unconsciously grew on Octavia’s mouth as she observed them. The pair was quite a sight for sore eyes. Her brother and her daughter were both grinning from ear to ear like the adorable dorks they were, their faces and necks were covered in glitters and ink here and there. They looked almost ready to go to a school bazaar. For a second, the woman’s brain wandered to tonight’s bath time. It would undeniably take a copious amount of soap to get all of it off, along with some elbow grease, and it would probably earn her a handful of whiny comments from an impatient Hope. But this sight, right there and then, made it worth it.

Octavia took her phone out and furtively snapped a few pictures while they were still too distracted to notice her and complain. Her thumb was a few millimeters away from hitting the send button when she realized that it’d ruin their surprise for tomorrow. She pocketed her phone back and made a mental note to show the pictures to her girlfriend tomorrow. She could already envision the smile that would materialize onto Charmaine’s lips and hear the carefree chuckle that would certainly leave the back of her throat. The mere thought of her lover’s voice and communicative giggle made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“I’m your only niece, Uncle Bell,” Hope pointed out, far too seriously for an eight years old but clearly amused by his silliness.

“Still. My favorite,” he shrugged with a smile and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

“Will you stop wiggling around and relax?” Octavia teasingly scolded the child with a chuckle.

They were both lying in Charmaine and Octavia’s bed, trying their very best to fall asleep but not being very successful as of yet. Like every night before Charmaine’s homecoming from a tour, the soporific arms of Morpheus were difficult to find into the sea of excitement and eagerness plaguing their every thought.

Still, the adult persevered. Her daughter would be nothing except one cranky and pouty mess all the way to school tomorrow morning otherwise. And dealing with a grouchy Hope first thing in the morning didn’t exactly fit the definition of fun in her books. No matter how immensely adorable Hope looked, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Thus, for both of their sakes, the faster was her little one asleep, the better it was.

“I can’t! I’m too excited.”

“I know, little one. I know. I’m very excited too,” she said in a calm and quiet tone, hoping it would soothe some of her excitement down. “But still, you gotta try to sleep so you can be in tip-top form tomorrow and pass the whole evening with Mama. Or else, you’re going to end up falling asleep in the middle of dinner,” she teased with a smile and gently poked Hope’s belly. “And we don’t want that now, do we?”

“Fine,” Hope eventually conceded with a huff, obviously not one hundred percent happy with the deal but complying nonetheless.

“Close your eyes.”

The brunette kissed her forehead and readjusted the girl against her. Hope fidgeted around for a few moments until she was into lying in a position comfortable enough to fall asleep. A protective hand came to rest on her belly and caressed it in slow, pacifying indistinct patterns.

The mattress sank to her left and then a body was cautiously pressed against her side. Octavia’s long hair inadvertently brushed her arm and bare neck as she lay down. It felt like a friendly yet unsuccessful tickle and her skin pleasantly tingled for a bit. Octavia’s body was warm against hers, and her smell was intimately familiar. Cocooned in tenderness, her eyes closed, the child felt calmness slowly overtaking her.

Just as Octavia thought the girl had fallen asleep, a voice broke the ambient silence.

“Do you think Mama will like our homecoming sign?”

“I thought I told you to sleep,” Octavia chastised with a chuckle.

“No, you said to close my eyes and they’re closed.”

“Smartass. You truly are your mother’s daughter,” she kissed her daughter’s temple all the while keeping on slowly rubbing her stomach. “Of course she’ll love it, little one. When has Mama ever not like one of our signs?”

“Never. She always says they’re awesome because they’re made with love.”

The comment bought a pensive smile to Octavia’s lips. No matter how outside the lines and approximate the coloring was, no matter how many spelling mistakes there were, no matter how objectively sinful the thing looked… The Colonel always looked at their homemade sign like it was the most beautiful art piece on Earth. Every single time. And, to her, it was. Besides, the metaphorical love-colored glasses that tinted Charmaine’s life whenever Hope or Octavia were involved held the power to turn their art and crafts into great wonders.

“Will you braid my hair tomorrow, O? Please? You know, the complicated ones? I wanna look extra-pretty for Mama.”

“Mama will always think you’re extra-pretty, no matter what hairdo you’re sporting. But yeah, sure. Now, come on, time to sleepy-sleep. How about you try to focus on your breathing? Breathe in through your nose,” she whispered quietly. “Good, hold it there for a few moments. Aaaaaaand breathe out through your mouth.”

Hope followed her instructions, already knowing what the next step was before her step-mother had even said it out loud. She focused onto her soft voice and her words. By the time Octavia told her her left leg was feeling heavy and numb, a powerful yawn escaped Hope’s mouth. The woman carried on until Hope’s breathing had slow down and she was sound asleep in her arms.

* * *

"Hello,” the receptionist guardedly greeted from behind the desk.

Charmaine entered the place a little further in, taking it all in. It was large and the walls were painted in a light boring monotone color, making the space appear even bigger than it was. The room was obviously very clean yet, it contained a bit of clutter sprinkled here and there. It was just right amount, enough to make it feel homey while not making it look untidy. Pictures of the different employees were hanging on the left wall, their name tag underneath it. From the big boss to the cleaning crew, everyone had their picture suspended at the same level, displaying no disparity in between the workers. It bought Charmaine a smile, and when she spotted Octavia’s picture, all toothy grin, gleeful green eyes and sharp jaw line, her grin unconsciously widened.

Octavia had resigned from her whilom job after a disagreement with management about her salary and working more manageable hours in order to spend more time with Hope. Thankfully, she had obviously come out better off and was now much happier work wise. One of the first things Octavia had told Charmaine about her new job here was that it felt like joining one big family. Charmaine had no trouble believing her, she could see it reflected in her surroundings. The more she looked around, the more she could see it. Not to mention that Echo, Bellamy’s wife, was also working here. It had evidently smoothed Octavia’s transition.

The young Asian-American receptionist was probably in his early thirties at most. He had a slender frame, he obviously only worked the reception and wasn’t employed as a part-time training instructor. The way his dark brown eyes scrutinized the Colonel from head to toe rubbed her the wrong way. Since she had come here straight from the airport, she was still wearing her Marine Corps uniform. She guessed she couldn’t really hold the staring back against him since a lot of people seemed to do that whenever she was clad in it. It didn’t mean it didn’t annoy the hell out of her though. She managed to hold back an exasperated sigh.

“Can I help you, Ma’am?” he asked in a suspicious tone, wondering why a Marine would wander into a gym in full uniform at three PM on a Thursday.

She forced a fake smile on her lips and took the last few steps separating her from the desk. It was Octavia’s work place and Charmaine was going to come here quite often, even possibly train here, so she ought to at least be nice to Octavia’s colleagues.

While the man wasn’t abnormally short, since Charmaine was quite a tall woman – a giant according to Octavia and Hope – and he was sitting down, she was towering over him. Plus, she knew the uniform made her look more imposing and authoritative. She took a little satisfaction in the fact that he looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Hi, I'm looking for Octavia Blake,” she said, mindful to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"You have a kid in her class or something?" he raised an eyebrow and kept on scrutinizing her.

"Or something, yeah.”

They looked at each other for a few long moments in silence, stuck in a staring contest that neither of them quite knew how it had started but were too stubborn to lose. He wanted her to elaborate on the reason of her coming here but she refused to give in.

"Okaaaaaaaay,” he eventually said skeptically at her lack of explanation. He capitulated and looked down at the computer screen. “Well, the teachers are currently practicing at this hour anyway. They should be done in about ten minutes or so. You're welcome to wait here if you'd li- Wait, you’re Charmaine, right? Colonel? Colonel Charmaine Diyoza?”

His critical-borderline-judgmental look abruptly turned to euphoric and his tone was full of eagerness. The sudden one eighty took Charmaine aback but what threw her off even more was the use of her first and last name. She had not introduced herself, so how did this man know who she was?

“I- yes,” she replied, too dumbfounded to say anything else.

“Of course you are! I’m so sorry for the wariness. I swear, I’m usually way less guarded and way friendlier. Even too friendly sometimes, I can come off a little too strong. I’m just a people person, you know? Wait, why am I even telling you that? You don’t care about all of that,” he gestured over his shoulder, figuratively waving what he had just said in the past. “Let’s start again, sorry. I recognized your face straight away but I couldn’t tell from where I knew you so I was very unsettled. Octavia’s shown us about a _gazillion_ pictures of you but not a single one in your uniform so it took me a while to make the connection.”

“Oh,” Charmaine felt relieved and she let out a small incredulous chuckle. Indeed, the man was assuredly much more welcoming than two minutes ago. “And you are?”

“Right, I’m Monty. Pleasure to meet you, Colonel. Officially. Not that it’s any of my business but what are you doing here? Isn’t Octavia supposed to pick you up from the airport in like, two hours? I know she cleared her schedule this afternoon so she would have time to pick Hope up from school and still be there on time,” he frowned.

Charmaine raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, her face otherwise impassive, asking no question and all the questions she needed at the same time without uttering any word.

“Sorry,” Monty chuckled nervously. “You’re all Octavia and Hope have been talking about lately and God knows that little girl of yours can talk anybody’s ear off. Don’t get me wrong though! She’s an absolute cutie pie and everyone around here loves her. She is the loveliest chatterbox I’ve ever met,” he salvaged and Charmaine could tell from his jovial expression that he really was smitten with Hope. “She and Octavia have literally been counting down the days for over two weeks now. Octavia’s smile was so bright this morning, I almost had to take out my sunglasses to not be blinded. And I’m pretty sure I saw her skipping her way to the lockers when she thought I wasn’t looking. I swear I’ve rarely seen someone this over-excited and I used to work at an amusement park before so that’s saying something,” he said pointedly with a lighthearted grin.

Charmaine laughed at the comparison and a wave of affection irradiated through her chest to eventually settle comfortably in the pit of her stomach. She knew firsthand how high on thrill Octavia could get on her girlfriend’s return day so she had no trouble picturing what Monty had just told her. Moreover, if the brunette’s texts from this morning were anything to go by, she hadn’t had a lot of sleep so she probably was one big bundle of way-too-caffeinated and over-eager nerves.

"I arrived a little early, thought I’d surprise her. If you’d be so kind and take me to her, please?"

“Oh, she’s definitely going to be surprised! Come on, follow me!” he said excitedly, almost hopping up and down with impatience as he skirted around the reception desk.

“Thanks.”

“She’s so gonna freak out! I can’t wait to see her face.”

“Me neither, Monty. Me neither,” Charmaine said dreamily, her tone dripping with tenderness.

She was too tired to conceal the emotions out of her voice and it seemed rather pointless at this point. There was no way Charmaine would be able to hide her feelings when she would finally see Octavia in a few moments so why do it now?

Monty “ooooowwwww-ed” mentally as he led her through the corridors. He badly wanted to tease the Colonel, happy to see that there was a real person behind the stoic persona, but he chose to abstain. It was probably too early in their friendship for that and he liked having the use of all his limbs.

All he and his colleagues knew from Octavia and Charmaine’s relationship were from what the martial art teacher and Hope had told them. It was heart-warming to see that the woman was as envious to see Octavia as Octavia was to see her. At last, they entered a large training area and Charmaine was instantly in awe.

There Octavia was.

Charmaine couldn’t see anything else or anyone else in the room. Just _Octavia_.

Her surroundings fainted to dull grey and it all blended together. It merged until the background was nothing but one indistinguishable heap of nothingness, until it became impossible to discern things from one another. Whether it was the material, the pattern, the shape… Charmaine couldn’t single out anything. It didn’t matter regardless. Her eyes were too focused onto the sole oasis of pigments illuminating her monochromatic world. Octavia stood out, a dash of bright and lively colors. The Colonel couldn’t tear her eyes away from her, not that she wished to anyway. It was like staring at a rainbow for the very first time after a storm, when she sky was still heavily cloudy.

And Charmaine sure did find the treasure at the bottom of the rainbow in Octavia.

The fierce brunette was busy fighting another woman in hand-to-hand combat. Even from the doorway, Charmaine could see the concentration etched on Octavia’s face: her pursed lips, her furrowed eyebrows, her serious and piercing gaze following her opponent’s every move like a hawk, the sweat on her forehead… Though Charmaine couldn’t see her girlfriend’s eyes, she knew there was a flame enlivening them, akin to a camp fire in a middle of the forest. The sparking glow intensified the green color of her eyes like flames set ablaze the chlorophyll within the leaves, and as it grew, untamed, it added more heat to her jabs.

The fighters were in a trance, oblivious of anything in the room that wasn’t their fight. Grunts and snaps of skin-hitting-on-skin filled the room.

Her fists were close to her face, ready to throw jabs or hooks at any opportune time. The sunlight reverberated on her skin which was covered by a thin layer of sweat, it gave her an angelic glow. A very tired and very muscular angel, but an angel regardless, Charmaine mused. Her tee-shirt was clinging to her shoulders, leaving next to nothing to the imagination about the athletic shoulders it was poorly hiding. Her short showed off her naked legs, tensed strong muscles that Charmaine knew, if played right, could turn straight into mush in between her hands. Judging by both, Octavia’s and her opponent’s sweaty clothes, they must have been at it for quite a while. However, Octavia seemed to have plenty of energy left, as if they had just began.

Braids went flying through the air as Octavia ducked to avoid her opponent’s high hook kick. She was back up in a blink of an eye and threw a powerful right hook, her tattoo curved around her triceps and biceps, cunningly hugging the muscles as she moved. Octavia was small and frail, which made it easy for people to under-estimate her. But she knew exactly how to use her weight and height to her advantage, a fact that the Colonel had learned the hard way.

She truly looked majestic whenever she was fighting. Charmaine could happily watch her all daylong and not get tired of it. She made fighting look so effortless and so seamless. The moves came like second nature to her, the sequences she had been practicing over and over for years had since long been engraved into her DNA by now. Watching her fight was like watching someone dance: each move held purpose, precision, grace, methodology… The only thing Charmaine liked more than watching Octavia fight was actively fighting with her. Although they had very different training upbringing, they were both strong hand to hand fighters and in all honesty, not a lot a people could keep up with them. So fighting together was always assuredly a great work out as well as a good source of entertainment.

The sight of Octavia in all her glory hit Charmaine in all the right places. Her knees buckled slightly under her and she stood straighter, forcing her leg muscles to move to chase the giddiness away. Her hair stood up all over her body, she was shivering but far from the result of a cold gust of wind, it was in fact the adoration that was making her flesh tingle. A dopey smile overtook her mouth, so wide her dimples were hurting. The most overwhelming of all though was the feeling that ignited from deep within her bones and overtook her brain cells with serotonin and dopamine, making the Colonel feel light-headed and the most alive she had ever felt all at once. She truly felt drunk in love.

The receptionist squeezed her upper arm gently, pulling her back to reality. She shook her head to get a hold of herself and blinked hard. When she reopened her eyes, her world was full of colors again, not only Octavia but the room too, and everything had taken back its original shape and place. Monty smiled knowingly at her and winked at her. Before she could even react, he was walking towards the fighters.

"Sorry to disturb you ladies, but I need to borrow you Octavia. Casey’s mom’s here, she would like to speak with you."

“Can’t it wait?” Octavia hissed at the disturbance, never letting go of her fighting stance. “I’m kinda in the middle of kicking Raven’s ass.”

“You wish,” the opponent, Raven apparently, replied sassily and out of breath.

Charmaine snorted at the bravado. Even to the untrained eye, it was easy to tell that Octavia was the one doing the ass-kicking and not the other way around.

“I’m afraid it really can’t,” Monty replied. “Plus, Raven looks like she could really use five.”

“Hey!” the said-woman lightly punched his shoulder and dropped her fighting stance. “Not cool, dude.”

Octavia laughed. “It’s fine. I know I’m a lot to keep up with today and you did put up a good fight, Rayes. Keep on like that and they might even let you be a teacher here,” she playfully teased her colleague.

“Shut up, smartass,” Raven said with a chuckle and walked up to her water bottle.

“Come on, the mom is here,” Monty motioned towards the doorway with his head.

Octavia followed his motion with furrowed eyebrows and Charmaine saw the exact moment realization set in. Curiosity and mild annoyance turned into a mix of raw happiness and ecstasy. Furrowed eyebrows raised up in disbelief, squinted eyes abruptly twirled with relief, the flame animating them now feeding on love rather than restlessness. Octavia opened and closed her mouth a handful of times, pleading her vocal cords to do its magic and form words, hell she would take just a sound at this point, but she came up short.

She could not believe what she was seeing. Who she was seeing. Octavia must be either so sleep-deprived that she was now hallucinating, either delusional with how thirsty she was, or either Raven’s kicks had just gotten a hell of a lot stronger that she thought they were.

“Huh?” Octavia eventually managed to let out gracelessly.

Was she not overwhelmed by so many emotions already, Charmaine would have made fun of her girlfriend for greeting her so eloquently and Octavia would have gladly let her get away with it, because it truly was one of the dumbest thing that her brain could have come up with.

Instead, Charmaine smiled cheekily at her and waved.

Happy tears blurred Octavia’s vision all of a sudden and she wished them away. She had been deprived of her partner’s sight for months, she deserved to see her properly. Not some smeared, toned down version. To see how sweet her smile was, the one that Hope had inherited but had not yet perfected. To see how bright her ash-colored eyes shone under the natural sunlight. To see the distinctive features that adorned her lover’s skin, from the jagged scar carved into her neck to her laugh lines.

She deserved to see all of her.

Her legs broke into a run and she prayed to God they wouldn’t give out from under her before she would reach her goal because she had absolutely no control over her body anymore. Her instincts had high jacked her brain and they were steering her body. She leaped into Charmaine’s arms and the older woman, while surprised by the unexpected-yet-not-so-much jump, effortlessly caught her as if Octavia weighted nothing. Charmaine had barely had time to throw her hat away before her partner threw herself at her. A rookie mistake really, she should know better than that by now.

Legs wrapped around her midsection and arms wrapped her neck, Octavia buried her head into the crook of her neck and took a deep breath in. There was the smell she had been longing for for weeks now. _Home_.

The Colonel felt Octavia’s tears slowly roll down her neck, doubtlessly staining her white shirt but she couldn’t care less. At first, Octavia tried to control them but they seemed to have a mind of their own and were relentless into making their presence known. It didn’t have a snowball chance in hell so she rapidly stopped trying to conceal them and instead let them roam freely. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason of her crying, the tears were an odd mix of exhaustion, bliss, nerves, and bewilderment.

Even with the uniform on, Octavia felt the familiar curves she had spent so many hours loving pressing against hers. The swell of her breasts, the taut belly, the strong arms... Charmaine was really here.

Charmaine wrapped an arm around Octavia’s lower back, pulling her even closer while her other hand travelled up the brunette’s arm, then her neck and eventually her temple, gently dislodging her from her hiding place against her neck. The hand cupping Octavia’s jaw was large and warm and oh so familiar. Calloused fingers, vestige of years of handling firearms, landed with delicate accuracy on her face, her touch light as a feather. As if she was a priceless piece of fine china, seconds away from breaking down in a million pieces. Which was ironic because Octavia felt like all the emotional pieces composing her heart had just been glued back together now that she was safe and sound in her partner’s arms.

Her face was gently guided upward, towards Charmaine’s, and her breath caught in her airways as she grasped what was going to happen.

Charmaine tasted like the bland coffee she had probably drunk liters of on the airplane and like warm sand on a sunny day at the beach, when the sun was still hanging high in the sky and one was dozing off on their towel, lulled by the faint chatter of people and the waves hitting the shore. But much more importantly than that, Charmaine tasted like _Charmaine_. No matter how long they had been separated for, they always seemed to remember exactly how to kiss, falling right back into a well-rehearsed secret waltz only they knew the counts to. And boy, did they perfect it over the years.

Octavia sighed into the kiss, relishing into the familiarity of it all and the hand comfortingly resting on her lower back gave her a gentle squeeze in reply. Out of breath, she reluctantly pulled away. Her eyes landed on wide gunmetal ones and the brightest of smiles.

“Hey baby,” Charmaine lovingly whisper-greeted. She knew Octavia’s colleagues were too far away to hear them, so whispering was unnecessary but speaking any louder felt like it might burst the bubble they were currently in. She carefully wiped the tears staining her partner’s cheeks with the pad of her thumb before softly rubbing her back back and forth. “You know, one day you’re gonna jump and I’m just gonna dodge you,” Charmaine teased playfully.

“Don’t you ever dare!” Octavia meant to sound threatening and firm but her voice came out small and with no conviction whatsoever.

“Kidding. You know I would never,” Charmaine kissed her forehead and Octavia tightened her grip around her.

Someone strongly cleared their throat behind them and the martial art instructor was suddenly remembered of her colleagues standing only a few feet away. Charmaine chuckled at the sheepish look on Octavia’s face and gently helped her down. Her hand found its resting place on Octavia’s lower back, the brunette leaned against her side with her arm wrapped around the Colonel’s midsection, not quite ready to let go just yet.

“Guys, this is Charmaine. Charmaine, this is everybody.”

Octavia introduced every one and Charmaine did her best to memorize names and faces but to be honest, she was a little out of it. On top of being very giddy from having Octavia in her arms, she was also terribly drowsy. It was nice to finally meet the people she had heard so much about and had helped Octavia and Hope through those last few months though.

Once the introductions done, small talk set in. Charmaine seized the opportunity to finally take the whole room in. Her eyes widened in delight as she examined the room. The space was huge and the more she saw, the more she liked it. Mats littered most of the floor, protection gears were neatly tidied up in compartments on the left, multiple punching bags hung down, a boxing ring waited in the far right corner for its next fight…

Her muscles simmered and her skin buzzed with want even through her general state of fatigue. Her natural likeness for combat and years into the Marines had turned her muscles into sadistic horny bitches for training and right now, they were extremely turned on. Traitors. She was in no condition to partake in fighting, even if it was just for fun. The fact saddened Charmaine but regardless, she couldn’t wait to train here with Octavia. The room held promise of good fights and great times.

“Well, not that I don’t love you guys but we have to ditch you,” Octavia said.

“Too afraid I’ll kick your ass in front of the girlfriend for a rematch, Blake?” Raven asked cockily with a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed over her chest.

Octavia and Charmaine both chuckled at her playful defiance, like she hadn’t been on the verge of passing out only twenty minutes ago.

“Octavia’s one sore loser and I just came back from six months tour of duty. Even though her pout is irresistible, I’d like to see that smile for a little while longer if you don’t mind, Raven. You’d be doing me a solid,” Charmaine winked at the brunette.

“I’m not!” Octavia said petulantly.

Her face contorted with betrayal and she looked up at her girlfriend like she had committed the greatest act of treason. At that, everybody giggled, knowing exactly how much of a bad loser the brunette could be at times.

“I’m really not!” They laughed even harder and Octavia sighed loudly, obviously not amused. “You guys are the worst,” she mumbled with a sullen look.

“It’s okay, babe,” Charmaine kissed her temple and gave her back a gentle comforting squeeze. “I love you no matter what,” she whispered into her hair before dropping another peck on the side of her forehead.

Hearing those three little words murmured into the shell of her ear turned Octavia’s frown upside down instantly. A lopsided grin that she had no control over overtook her mouth, threatening to split her face in two and she could feel her cheeks heating up. She was very thankful for her still lightly reddened skin from her sparring session so it went completely unnoticed. Her colleagues were already going to tease her enough next Monday for jumping and clinging to Charmaine like that, she didn’t need to give them any more reasons.

There was no hiding her happiness from the Colonel though. Not with the way her body melted unconsciously a little further into her side embrace. Charmaine simply pulled her a closer in response.

“I love you too,” she said softly so only the other woman would hear and then cleared her throat. “Come on, it’s almost time to pick Hope up and I have to shower. I’ll see y’all Monday guys.”

“We’ll see you Monday, Octavia,” Monty said with a warm smile.

“Have a good week end, Blake,” John said.

“I bet she will,” Raven muttered, nowhere near low enough for Octavia and Charmaine not to hear.

Octavia glared at her and flipped her the bird, Charmaine and Monty tried their best to contain their laughter in and John not-so-gently elbowed Raven in the ribcage. Charmaine definitely liked her partner’s co-workers.

“I mean, have a great week-end, Blake!” Raven smiled cheekily and waved goodbye.

Octavia grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers and led them away to the teachers’ locker/ break room. They had so much to say to each other and so many stories to share with one another yet, neither of them wanted to break the comfortable silence that had set in, content with co-existing in the same space for now.

The break room was cozy and homey: a big couch was tucked in a far away corner, littered with throw pillows and blankets, a big TV was placed not far away from a round dinner table, a small kitchenette was in the back with what had to be about a hundred of pictures, postcards and drawings magnetized on the fridge door... Charmaine smiled when she spotted a wild drawing with Hope’s name at the bottom right corner. Her eyes lingered onto the sheet of paper, trying to figure out what her daughter had drawn however it was too experimental and too avant-garde for her to successfully understand it.

Her focus shifted back to the brunette still holding her hand. Finally far away from people, they let their guards down, allowing themselves to be more vulnerable and to truly open up.

Charmaine gently pulled at Octavia’s hand, prompting the brunette to face her. Her free hand hiked its way up from her midsection to the back of her neck and her thumb caressed the soft skin hiding there. They stood in silence, just gazing at each other with dazed eyes, taking each other in. Even in her sweaty state, Octavia looked radiant. A few beats passed and the Colonel lowered her head as the other woman moved up on her tiptoes to meet her in the middle, their minds in a mental symbiosis that requested no spoken words. Without anyone around to stare at them, they could finally kiss however they wanted to. However they yearned to.

What had begun as a soft kiss slowly but surely escalated to passionate. Charmaine’s tongue grazed against Octavia’s lower lip and the woman quickly granted her access, noses bumped into each other as they deepened the kiss. The shy sigh that Octavia had let out earlier blossomed into a shameless moan now that nobody was around. The hand caressing her neck stops its ministrations to grab it and draw her closer.

Octavia’s hands wandered down her lover’s back, past her butt to seize the back of her thighs. Charmaine let out a surprised squeal but lost no time in prudently jumping off the ground to help her along. Lips chased Octavia’s, separation didn’t feel like an option now that she had had a taste of her. She felt them moving around the room, Octavia holding her firmly against her. She was carefully settled onto a flat cushy surface, more likely the couch she had eyed earlier, and Charmaine whined loudly when the martial art instructor broke their lip lock. The brunette giggled at her pout while she straddled her. Octavia Eskimo-kissed her nose and pecked the sticking out bottom lip away. The moue vanished into thin air faster than it had taken it to come, replaced by a tender smile instead.

They were both flushed, and while Octavia’s hot cheeks were primarily due to physically working out, Charmaine’s were solely due to desire. It took a few moments for Charmaine’s eyelids to open but when they did, Octavia wasn’t disappointed. Lust, tiredness, love, thankfulness… there was a cacophony of feelings twirling in the Colonel’s eyes, illuminating her irises all over like lit candles during the festival of lights, leaving no space unoccupied. It was like looking down at the city lights on a snowy winter night, parked in secluded area on far away hill with a view of the whole city lying below, sitting in the comfort of a well heated up car, the radio softly playing old timey songs and your partner next to you. It filled Octavia with fuzziness and warmth all over her body, her head felt almost dizzy but she couldn’t tear her gaze away for the life of her.

“What are you doing here? I thought your plane landed at half past five?” Octavia asked as she cautiously undid her girlfriend’s military bun.

“Oh, did I say half past five? I’m pretty sure I said two-fifteen. You must have misheard me,” Charmaine said with a smile full of mischief that clearly indicated that she had deliberately given her girlfriend the wrong time.

Her hands tenderly caressed Octavia’s naked thighs, her skin felt warm in her fingertips.

Octavia chuckled. “You know what? I honestly couldn’t care less. I’m so over the moon that you’re here.”

Bun undone, the brunette ran a hand through light brown hair, mindful of any knots she might find along the way. It had grown so long in six month time. It now landed above Charmaine’s breasts instead of the shoulder length Octavia was accustomed to seeing but the new length suited her girlfriend’s face. It made her jaw look sharper but her eyes look softer.

“Over the moon, uh?”

“Over the moon,” Octavia repeated, her voice low and filled with fondness.

“I’m over the moon too,” Charmaine pulled her into a meaningful kiss.

Tongues met again, this time for a much clumsier yet just as affectionate dance.

“Do you want to shower here too or would you rather wait until we get home?” Octavia asked.

“Is it your not so subtle way to tell me that I stink?” Charmaine said in on offended tone but her teasing smirk was telling a whole other story. 

“You smell like a Marine base in heaven?” Octavia fake-smiled in that way that wasn’t as much of a smile as showing all her teeth, wincing.

Charmaine snorted and gently hit Octavia’s upper arm. “Fuck off. You’re obviously not the one who just spent twelve hours in a big metal flying box with hundreds of over-excited Marines.”

“I kid, baby,” Octavia wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “If anything, you not smelling like anything other than your beautiful self is kind of marvelous.”

“Good, I wouldn’t want Hope to run away when she gets her first sniff of me in months.”

“I can assure you, no smell, no matter how bad, would ever deter our little one away from her Mama’s sturdy arms and soft, warm hugs,” Octavia hugged her closer, resting her head onto Charmaine’s shoulder and the Colonel tightened her hold around her in return. “I missed this so much,” she mumbled.

“The hugs, the arms, or me?” Charmaine teased.

“All of the above,” Octavia rambled against her neck, her hot breath tickling Charmaine’s neck in the sweetest of ways.

“I’ve got you, O. I’ve got you.”

She didn’t know for how long they just sat there, hugging each other in silence but eventually, Octavia pulled away.

“Come on, I have a few spares change of training clothes. You can change while I shower.”

“Did you somehow grow five inches and put on seven pounds while I was touring? ‘Cause there is no way I’ll ever fit into your gremlin clothes.”

Octavia rolled her eyes, obviously not entertained by the remark. “Good thing I always have some of your giraffe clothes laying around then.”

Charmaine quirked an eyebrow, silently asking why.

“It’s nice to open my locker in the morning and to see them. They’re familiar and they hold fond memories,” Octavia tried to shrug nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t just said one of the cutest thing Charmaine had heard in a while.

Charmaine’s heart swooned and her skin prickled with love. If her cheeks weren’t already flushed, she was sure she would be blushing.

“I love you so much,” Charmaine said, with a dumb smile.

“I love you too,” Octavia smiled back, just as idiotically.

* * *

Charmaine quickly pocketed her phone as Octavia came back from her shower. Long damp brunette hair was tied in a messy bun on top of Octavia’s head, rebel flyaways turning from dark brown to gold under the locker room lighting. Her jumper was way too big for her, the sleeves were hiding the palm of her hands, and therefore only her fingers were poking out. Charmaine was pretty sure she could easily fit two Octavias into that jumper and then some. Upon closer inspection as she walked up closer to her, she recognized it to be one of Bellamy’s old clothes.

For someone who took up two thirds of their dressing room, Octavia tended to borrow other people’s clothes more often than not, Charmaine and Bellamy being the most endangered to having their clothes snatched by her at any given time. Charmaine couldn’t really blame her girlfriend for the temporary borrowings though, she looked entirely too comfortable and cute in them.

Her face still held red hues to it from her sparring session. Even without any make up on, her eyelashes were long, making her eyes seem bigger and enhancing the sparkle brightening them. Her smile was what caught Charmaine’s eye though. Wide, warm, cheek-hurting… It was that smile that had lighted up her dreams while overseas, that one she had pictured whenever she had had trouble falling asleep or had been struggling through tough situations… It was that very smile she had been longing for all of those months away. It was one of the many treasured memories that she always carried with her. It didn’t take up any space in her suitcase, only requiring a small place in her heart in order to exist.

Octavia looped her arms around Charmaine’s neck and the Colonel gently lifted the jumper up, her hands wandered towards her hipbones to rest there. The flesh was warm and smooth, it prickled to life as she gently rubbed the muscles there, the goose bumps titillating her fingertips. Charmaine didn’t need to speak Braille to know what it was spelling out. I’m happy you’re here, I never want you to go back, please don’t leave me, hold me tight so I don’t crumble, I love you.

“What gotcha smiling so big, babe?” Octavia asked softly with furrowed eyebrows as she tilted her head to the side, inquisitive about the serene and cheerful look on Charmaine’s face.

“I’m very happy. I love you.”

Octavia felt butterflies overtaking her belly, her cheeks felt abruptly warm and she could feel her heart beat against her sternum. It was so loud, she was almost sure Charmaine would be able to hear it if she focused hard enough.

“I love you too.”

Charmaine bent down to kiss Octavia but with the both of them smiling, it proved to be harder than anticipated. They pulled away in a mess of giggles at their ineptitude. Charmaine gently squeezed her hips, she felt Octavia’s abs tightened repetitively as they laughed cheerfully. It made her fingers itched. They grew a mind of their own in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t until she heard Octavia’s gasp that did Charmaine become aware that her hand had trailed up her girlfriend’s belly while her other was now resting on her back, pulling her closer.

This time, when Octavia pulled her into a kiss, they were successful. The arms around her neck tightened their grip and the Colonel deepened the kiss. Octavia eventually pulled away and Charmaine now bruised lips traveled down her jaw, peppering it with feather light kisses. She arched her head backwards, happily giving more space to Charmaine to work with. Her skin was yearning for more and the Colonel didn’t need to any persuasion, eagerly exploring what was given to her. Barely was Octavia’s neck in sight, did her mouth latch onto it.

“Baby,” Octavia said breathily.

Charmaine just hummed in reply against her skin, that reaped her the benefits of a small groan from Octavia and a roll of hips. She pulled at the sweater collar to expose her partner’s pulse point. The beat felt strong under her mouth and when she sucked, it earned her another moan and a hand gently tugged at her hair, which only rekindled her wish to leave a love bite there. She nipped at the skin before letting go, a smirk forming on her lips as she admired her handiwork blossom onto Octavia’s skin. Charmaine’s mouth trailed up Octavia’s collarbone, her kisses tender.

“We’re gonna be late,” Octavia said, all the while letting Charmaine decorate her skin with her sweet ministrations. Eventually, she got a hold on herself. She put a hand on Charmaine’s chest and gently pushed her backward to put some distance in between them. “Come on, we have all day for that tomorrow. Hope will be at school and we’re not working.”

“I thought you couldn’t get out of work tomorrow?” Charmaine frowned, confused.

“You’re not the only one with tricks up her sleeve. I only have a few classes tomorrow and Echo agreed to take them over.”

“I’m sure your brother was delighted to know that his wife would cover for you in order for his baby sister to hold a fuck-fest,” Charmaine laughed loudly. “Man, I would have loved to see his face.”

“When he understood that Hope would be at school so it’d be a just-you-and-me kind of day, I’m pretty sure he had a small cardiac arrest,” she reenacted his reaction of when it had finally all clicked into Bellamy’s mind.

The man had been all wide-eyed, stoic with shock and had stuttered for a solid minute. Octavia broke into a chuckle after only a few seconds of pretending, she was soon joined by Charmaine.

“Come on O, let’s go surprise our little one.”

* * *

The car ride to Hope's school was familiar yet there was a certain novelty to it. Octavia wasn't alone in the car anymore, she had her best friend sitting in the passenger seat. And God, was it nice to ride again with Charmaine by her side. They fell right back into their antics, free to shamelessly let their sillies out.

It was especially nice to have someone to duet with. Someone who knew exactly when their lines started and when it ended. Hope was getting the hang of it but she was only interested in Disney songs and Octavia wasn’t emotionally strong enough yet to handle a whole car-ride of only Disney. Bellamy would sometimes karaoke along with her but he was terrible singer and a forgetful lyricist. Octavia sometimes feared for her eardrums in his presence.

If someone had told Octavia all those years ago when they had first met, that Colonel Charmaine Diyoza of the US Navy SEALs, over twenty years of service under her belt, would belt out with her to the kitschiest music the early 2010’s had to offer and bust out her corniest moves, she would have thought they were crazy.

No way Colonel Diyoza knew how to have fun, not even a small slice of fun. She was tough looking, she was harsh and cold and she only spoke in sarcasm. The only moments she appeared to be soft was with her daughter. Yet, a few years down the road, here they were. Octavia couldn’t have been more wrong about the other woman and she was extremely glad she had been. Charmaine was a diamond in the rough. All razor-sharp edges and hard at first glance, but linger long enough and you would see her beauty.

Charmaine was an exceptionally soft partner. A point that wasn’t always easy for other people to see. It was imprinted in the way she carried herself, all military like, exuding power, authority and intimidation. Even when relaxed, her broad shoulders and often impassive pose made her appear strong. It had taken quite a few months for Bellamy to warm up to the idea of Charmaine Diyoza dating his sister. Octavia had known it had been a lot for him to take in: Charmaine was significantly older than her, she already had a child, she was working overseas a lot, she was a she… Her authoritative figure hadn’t really helped. But as he had passed more time with her, he noticed how extra gentle she always was with her daughter and his sister.

Because for all her toughness and sharp edges, Charmaine would turn into a puddle of softness around Hope and Octavia. And, oh, did Octavia like to see the Colonel crumble, especially in between her hands. Sure, the tough-don’t-fuck-with-me-vibe Charmaine exuded at almost all times was incredibly attractive but when the dirty blonde was falling into pieces in between her hands, all guttural moans, ragged breathing, soft pleads and reddened cheeks? That was immensely more attractive. No razor-sharp edges to be seen then, just raw beauty in its purest form.

Octavia parked their car and they walked up to the school front gate. It was nice to banter with Octavia like this again. Without the lag that came with international calling, without having to put her hand up to her ear to muffle the sound of hundreds of Marines behind her so she could hear her better, without static drowning her voice out every so often... That firm, sweet voice that was just the right amount of deep to make Charmaine’s heart swoon and her core ache. She especially liked how gruff Octavia let it be once their bedroom door closed, something Charmaine was definitely looking forward to hearing again.

Octavia studied the Colonel next her from the corner of her eye as they settled a few feet away from the other parents. She had to say, she was quite entertained by what she was seeing. The usually imperturbable Colonel was having trouble staying still, her muscles were buzzing with so much excitement Octavia was pretty sure it could be spotted from miles away. Her partner’s gaze was transfixed onto the metal gate, as if, if she focused hard enough, Hope would magically materialize right there and then in front of it. No matter how many tour it had been, Octavia swore she would always be as amazed by Charmaine’s enthusiasm over being reunited with her little one again as the first time. It made her feel extremely thankful to be part of this family. To be able to witness the two people that had become her whole world be happy in a way she hadn’t thought was possible anymore ever since she had lost Lincoln.

Finally, the bell rang and the gate opened. A deluge of happy, loudly shrieking children overtook the street in a matter of minutes. Hope came out after the first big wave. She stilled as she scanned the crowd in search of Octavia’s familiar face. She quickly found her standing on the left side, as usual, and started to walked up to her. However, when her eyes fell onto the woman standing next to her, her walk slowed down to a halt and she frowned in disbelief.

“Mama?” she asked in a whisper.

Her legs broke into a brisk run and tears suddenly filled her eyes, making her vision blurry. She could still make out her mother’s huge smile and wide opened arms though. Emotions rushed through her body, so many of them, it was almost overwhelming and her heart was beating so loudly, she could feel it in her ears. Hope sprung into the arms, throwing the Colonel off balance at the forceful impact. Charmaine took a step back to steady herself and she tightened her grip onto her daughter. Hope was heavier and bigger than she last remembered, she welcomed the new knowledge though, savoring it.

Small arms wrapped themselves around her neck, a head gently fell onto her chest and her hair tickled Charmaine’s skin, and still-a-few-inches-too-short-legs wrapped themselves around her midsection. Charmaine spun them around, electing a belly laugh from Hope.

It was the most beautiful sound she had heard in a while. Although, Octavia’s was a close second.

“Okay, stopping now before I get dizzy. I’m getting to old for this,” Charmaine said after only a few spins.

Soft sobs escaped Hope and her mother let the tears roll down her cheeks and crash on her top, knowing better than to brush them away by now. It would be a futile attempt. It was Hope’s only way of exteriorizing the sudden overwhelming rush of feelings she was experiencing, the tears would stop on their own when she would feel calmer. Nonetheless, an uneasiness emerged within Charmaine’s chest and seized her heart. It was getting crushed, her guilt tightening its psychological grip on it at each beat. She hated that she was the one responsible for Hope’s pain.

“I’ve got you, little one. I’ve got you,” Charmaine whispered to her daughter as she tenderly swayed them left and right to help her calm down. “You’re okay,” she dropped a kiss on top of her head.

Octavia tenderly rubbed her daughter’s thigh to bring her some comfort.

“Like step-mother, like daughter,” the Colonel said to Octavia and winked knowingly at her.

The martial art teacher lovingly smiled back at her before shifting her focus back onto their child. After a few minutes of soft-spoken verbal comfort and affectionate touches from both women, Hope’s sobs subsided until the only traces left of them were puffy eyes, a stained jumper and a soft hiccup. Hope finally tilted her head up from her hiding place in the crook of her mother’s neck to look at her.

One look at her green eyes was all it took for Charmaine’s guilt to magically fly away. There were full of innocence and the way they looked at her, bright and hopeful, like her mother was the sun illuminating her life, it made her now grip-free heart flutter with love. It pumped euphoria straight into her bloodstream. Consequently, her whole body felt giddy, from the very top of her head to her tippy toes.

“There’s my little munchkin,” she gently wiped away the remnants of her tears with a pad of her thumb and she gave her a warm smile.

“I missed you so much,” were Hope’s first words.

Her voice was shaky and nasal but after hearing her cry, it was nice to hear a full sentence leave her lips.

“I missed you so much too,” Charmaine hugged her just a little bit closer and kissed her face all over until Hope was a squealing mess.

Hope wiggled her face away by leaning backward to escape her mother’s silliness. Charmaine supported her back so she wouldn’t fall and her lips pursued her in her supervised and assisted tilt.

“Babe, you’re going to drown her in all those kisses,” Octavia chuckled and gently pulled her girlfriend’s face away from her daughter’s.

“You jealous, O?” Charmaine said humorously and made kissy noises with pursed lips to the brunette.

Both Hope and Octavia chuckled.

“Sure,” Octavia happily gave in the goofiness and pecked her girlfriend.

“Whatcha doin’ here, Mama? O told me we were going to pick you up at the airport after school? We made a sign and stuff! Uncle Bell even helped.”

“ _Tried_ to help. He fucked up the lettering,” Octavia added, obviously still a little sore about the fact.

Charmaine smiled at her girlfriend’s frustrated face. She gently bumped their shoulders together and gave her a comforting smile. Octavia’s furrowed eyebrow and sulky expression turned into a more relaxed face.

“I’m sure it looks beautiful. I can’t wait to see it when we get home,” Charmaine said cheerfully, her voice a few octaves higher than usual. “Did you have fun day at school today, little one?”

The child lost no time and launched into a long buoyant tirade of lively misadventures, her words coming out a mile a minute, trying her hardest to share as much as quickly as humanly possible with the Colonel. Charmaine would sometimes step in, to ask for clarification or to gasp, but she was mostly content with simply standing there. Hope sounded like a sweet, rich symphony played by a powerful orchestra: animated notes that compelled her audience to pay attention, enrapturing both adults.

She was in the middle of recounting one of her latest adventures when her stomach loudly rumbled, demanding its after-school snack.

“Does O not feed you when I’m gone? That was so loud I’m sure I would have heard that monster scream all the way back in Afghanistan,” she softly rubbed Hope’s belly.

“How about we go to the ice cream parlor? It’s not that far away and it’s been a while since we last went.”

Hope’s stomach roared again and the three of them laughed.

“We’ll take that as a yes,” Charmaine leaned forward to put Hope down but the kid just clung tighter to her mother.

“Carry me, please?” Hope asked with big doe eyes, like the verbal request wasn’t enough to ensure that Charmaine would keep on cradling her.

“Of course, little one,” she indulged her daughter and tenderly kissed her forehead.

Truth be told, she needed to feel her daughter in her arms. To smell the childhood odor emanating from her, to memorize the way her grown body now fitted against her, to feel her warm breath brush her neck… She needed to feel all of Hope.

“Give me your backpack, Hope. I’ll carry it, you’ll be more comfortable without it.”

“Thanks, O.”

“You’re welcome.”

Octavia helped her get it off and widened the shoulder straps to the maximum before putting on the backpack. The bag represented a lion head, a fake overly furry mane framed the sides and in the center was printed a smiling lion face. Though it had lost its pristine shine of bygones days, it was still in fairly good shape. The sight was enough to make Charmaine’s heart melt, Octavia looked utterly and ridiculously perfect all at once. When the brunette looked up, she found Charmaine looking at her, a dopey smile on her lips.

“What?” Octavia asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing. I love you is all.”

Octavia frowned suspiciously and she squinted her eyes ever so slightly. “Okay?”

“I promise, nothing fishy is going on,” the Colonel laughed at the other woman’s skepticism.

“Oh,” Octavia’s frown vanished into thin air and she stepped closer to the duo. She took a hipbone in her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I love you too,” she said tenderly and kissed Charmaine’s cheek. “And I love you,” she kissed Hope’s cheek.

“I love you too, little one,” Charmaine kissed her daughter’s other cheek so it wouldn’t feel left out.

“I love you too, Mama and O.”

The smile on Hope’s mouth ate half of her face. She rested her head against Charmaine’s right shoulder as they leisurely walked.

Her smell was intoxicating. The cuddle toy that Hope had given Charmaine at her departure had long lost her scent and the mother had yearned for the day she would be able to smell childhood, chocolate and artificial berries ever again. Now that she had had a whiff of it, she couldn’t stop herself from taking deep breaths. It was too soothing not to.

* * *

Barely had they stepped into the house was Hope taking her mother’s hand and dragging her through it.

“I wanna show you the banner!” she said excitedly.

Looking back, maybe giving her that much sugar in the late afternoon hadn’t been the brightest of ideas. Even though Hope had look extremely adorable with her ice-cream-covered nose, shrieking happily “brain freeze” as she had winced for barely a second before digging right back into her food like nothing had happened. Even though Octavia had been fondly stroking her thigh underneath the table the whole time they had been sitting. Okay, so maybe it was worth it after all.

“Slow down, little one. Shoes off first,” Charmaine instructed with a chuckle. “I’d rather the first thing I have to do not to be cleaning.”

Hope quickly sat on the wooden floor and pulled at her laces, obviously in a hurry to get them off her feet as quickly as possible. She struggled with the second knot for quite a few moments, her small fingers had trouble pulling on the correct string to untie it and she grunted in frustration. Once done, she cleaned them up near the wall, already knowing either her mom or step-mom would ask her to do so anyway if she didn’t.

She swung back and forth on the ball of her feet, staying still was too much of a struggle. There was no point in pretending she could do it with that much excitement cursing through her small body. Nevertheless, she waited silently for Charmaine to be done with her own shoes, not rushing her no matter how bad she wanted to ask her to go faster.

Octavia tickled her neck as she walked past her and the very next second, Charmaine was scooping Hope up over her shoulder in one swift over-practiced move. Her upper body dangled down Charmaine’s back, her hips safely rested over her shoulder and Charmaine held her knees close to her chest. The little girl squealed in surprise and it evolved into a burst of giggles with her mother pulled at her feet. The Colonel then pulled at her toes and gently blew on them and patted them.

“Mama!” Hope moved her legs around wildly to get away from the tickling motions but Charmaine only reinforced the grip she had around her knees to ensure her daughter’s safety. “What are you doing?” Hope managed to speak through her chuckles.

“You kept in figeting, I thought your feet were on fire! I was worried for you!” the Colonel said as she walked them around the house, her tone fakely horrified. “But they’re all better now,” she tilted her head to kiss a hip that was on her shoulder.

“Silly Mama.”

“Right, O?” Charmaine asked as she stepped next to the brunette. She pretended she hadn’t heard what Hope had just said and soldiered on with her comically absurd bit. “The fire’s all gone now, isn’t i- Oh, no. A spark! Quick!”

Charmaine tickled her daughter’s right foot again and she smiled knowingly at the other woman, wordlessly encouraging her to connive with her. Octavia shook her head at the goofiness of it all. She enthusiastically joined in though, blowing the non-existent spark away too with a wide grin etched on her face.

It was great to be reunited. To fall right back into their familiar antics. To see and hear the two people that made her world go round genuinely ecstatic. Charmaine’s and Hope’s laughs filled the room and care bubbled up within Octavia’s chest, strong and dainty. The blobs of love brushed against Octavia’s heart in their ascension, till they became so plentiful, it felt like it was wrapped in a cloud of softness.

“Mama! O!” Hope giggled and squirmed harder, trying to get away from their touches. “Stop!”

Both women ceased immediately and the martial art instructor leaned forward to be face to face with her daughter.

“You’re alright, little one?” she asked with a reassuring smile but worried eyes.

The little girl nodded, a few unshed happy tears were glistening in her eyes, meaning she wasn’t hurt in any way. She opened her arms and raised her eyebrows at the adult to indicate she wanted out. Octavia carefully took her in her arms and helped her back down.

“Thanks, O. Come on now, Mama,” she took her mom’s hand and eagerly dragged her to her room.

* * *

The wide array of choices offered to Charmaine was almost overwhelming. Standing in front in her eyes stood about a dozen of bottles – shampoos, shower gel, conditioners, hairs masks… Used to the two in one shower-gel-and-shampoo bottles that very faintly smelled like nothing identifiable daily for the last six months, this was quite a change. Charmaine took her time, smelling each and every product as warm well-pressurized water dripped down her skin, relaxing her tensed muscles and washing away the day along with the plane smell that was clinging to her skin.

Each bottle, each scent reminisced her a cherished memory. She knew those smells, she knew who they belonged to, she knew how they would linger in the air whenever Hope or Octavia would hug her or when they would whip their long brunette hair near her. They smelled like home.

The warm droplets of water rhythmically hit her flesh, trying to shoot some much-needed energy into her in the gentlest way imaginable. It worked to an extent, when the Colonel got out, she felt a tad less jet-lagged than when coming in.

Fluffy towels and fresh comfort clothes were waiting for her on the vanity top. Octavia must have put them there because Charmaine had for sure forgotten all about them before steeping in the shower in her sleepy state. She couldn’t help but grin when she saw what the brunette had picked out for her, it was her favorite and coziest loungewear. The woman really knew her like the back of her hand. The towels felt awfully soft against her skin and when she slipped on her clothes, the floral softener odor emanating from them filled her nose.

Everything Marine issued, from the uniforms to the toiletries, felt hard and scratchy and was devoid of any smell. Right now, her flesh felt like it was in heaven. The material was so smooth, goose bumps would cover her skin every time it did as little as lightly brush against it. She made a mental note to let Octavia know exactly how grateful she was for all of this later.

Stepping into the bedroom and spotting her luggage, she contemplated launching a laundry just so it would be done but she decided that some things could just wait until tomorrow. As of now, she just wanted to spent time with her family. Dirty clothes could wait a day or two.

Octavia’s and Hope’s voices could be heard coming from the kitchen. Hope was on a stool, Octavia standing behind her, guiding her hand holding the knife to cut the vegetables up. Something was already simmering on the stove, the stewing noise drawn out by the soft chatter. The room smelled like plants and spices, a pleasant change from gunpowder and sweat.

“Thank you for the fresh everything, baby.”

“You’re welcome. Good shower?”

“Good everything.”

Octavia glanced at her over her shoulder, a beaming smile on her lips. She gasped and Charmaine frowned at her shocked expression. “Dang woman. Warn me next time, will you? I didn’t know they allowed Marines to also be the bomb,” Octavia smirked as she appreciatively looked the other woman up and down.

Her tone left little to zero doubt to where her mind was, nor did her darkened eyes and lustful gaze. Thankfully, Hope was too busy with what she was doing to pay them any mind.

“Wow, that was an exceptionally bad one, O,” Charmaine snorted at the dorkiness.

“I only had six months to work on it, sorry,” Octavia turned back around to help Hope.

She shrugged nonchalantly and even though Charmaine couldn’t see her face, she could hear the playful smirk in her tone.

“Don’t apologize, I love it. You both look pretty great too, by the way. The feed really doesn’t do you guys justice,” she walked up next to them and gently leaned her elbows onto the kitchen counter.

Hope beamed at her mother’s compliment and smiled toothily at her. “Thanks, Mama. You look prettier in real life too.”

A few moments passed in silence, Charmaine enjoyed watching the mundane scene she had been deprived of for the last six months. Hope was diligently cutting away, careful and slow, her little tongue pocked out when they switched from zucchinis to peppers.

“Do you want any help?” the Colonel eventually asked.

“It’s your first day back, let us take care of you. Even better, why don’t you enjoy a little one and one with our daughter while I finish cooking?” Octavia took a step back to let Hope hop down from the stool.

“Can I show Mama the new seedlings and the new flowers, O?” Hope asked excitedly, her eyes big and wide.

“Of course, little one.”

“I can’t wait to see it! Wash your hands first please,” Charmaine asked her daughter. Charmaine walked up the brunette and kissed her longingly, trying to convey to Octavia how grateful she was feeling for all of her loving gestures. “You’re being absolutely ridiculous but thank you nonetheless.”

“You’re welcome. Now out of my kitchen!” Octavia pecked her and gently hit Charmaine’s butt with the wooden spoon, effectively shooing her out of the room.

“Wow, I haven’t been back a day and already you’re chasing me out of my own kitchen and beating me. I’m starting to feel unwelcomed.”

It was Octavia’s turn to snort. “Who knew Marines could be such big drama queens?”

“Come on, you missed it,” Charmaine taunted from the doorway.

“I missed _you_.”

“Done!” Hope informed the adult all the while wiping her hands on her pants.

Charmaine wrinkled her nose in a semi-convinced way. “Same difference,” she said to her girlfriend before going back to Hope.

Hope gently grabbed her hand and led her to the back garden, showing her what Octavia and she had been working on while she had been away. Octavia spied them from the kitchen window, a knife in her right hand in case she was caught red-handed and needed to pretend to be doing something on the spot. Every once in a while, Hope or Charmaine would pick a flower up, either to add it to their mix-and-match bouquet or to put it in their hair.

Even though Octavia knew Charmaine had no interest in flowers, plants or vegetables gardens - hence why the brunette had total freedom to do as she pleased with their backyard - the Colonel was intensely listening to whatever Hope was passionately babbling about, if the small wildly flying arms were anything to go by. And with a smile like that harboring their daughter’s face, one could only smile back like a fool and listen.

* * *

“Where’s our little one?” Octavia asked as she scanned the bedroom for any sign of Hope.

The other woman was sprawled under the sheets, on the left side where she belonged, her thumbs actively typing on her phone screen. Their bedside lamps lighting reflected on Charmaine’s pale skin, softening her features and heating up her complexion.

Charmaine put her phone away. “Restroom and teeth-brushing. I do not want to be woken up in the dead of the night because somebody needs to go wee-wee. Come here,” Charmaine patted the empty space next to her.

Octavia crawled onto the sheets on all fours and met the other woman in the middle for a kiss. Charmaine was apparently not pleased with her girlfriend being so far away though. In consequence, she scooped Octavia closer and closer to her until the brunette had no choice but to straddle her, which she happily did. The Colonel’s hands hiked up their way from Octavia’s knees to her thighs and gave them a tender squeeze. Octavia’s reaction was immediate. She sighed in satisfaction and she tightened her grip on Charmaine’s shoulders.

Eventually, the martial art teacher pulled away from the kiss but stayed closed, leaning her forehead against Charmaine’s. Her eyes remained closed, she was too focused on _feeling_ Charmaine to open them. Her warm, heavier-than-usual breathing mingling with hers. The smooth fingertips stroking the bare skin of her legs back and forth, making the fine hair that lived there prickle alive like it was on fire. Her breasts brushing against hers in the lightest way possible with each inhalation. Her long, fine hair tickling the back of her hands. Her smell, because no matter what shower gel or shampoo she would use, Charmaine’s unique smell would always slip through.

All of those little oh so familiar things filled up her senses. Her heart felt like it was pumping warm goo and her brain was fuzzy with happy hormones. Her stomach contorted and did somersaults like it was auditioning for Cirque du Soleil or like it was the next Olympic gymnast, but Octavia reveled in the feeling. She didn’t want it to ever go away.

“Thank you for keeping your promise,” Octavia whispered after a few moments as she opened her eyes.

“I always keep my pinky promises,” Charmaine said, referring to the promise of coming home. “As much as I love my country, I love Hope and you far more.”

“I love you too.”

The brunette closed the distance in between their mouths once more but before they could meet, Charmaine sleekly ducked to the left, wrapped her arms around Octavia’s abdomen and pushed them both backwards all in one swift move. She landed on top of a very surprised and yelping Octavia.

“And this is an incredible screw lock throw, out of nowhere! The stadium is on fire at the unexpected move!” Charmaine said with her best commentator voice, Octavia laughed at the awfulness of it. “Diyoza takes the lead. Will Blake be able to get out of this, ladies and gentlemen? The suspense is palpable!”

Octavia tried to get out but the other woman easily countered her every move, like she was reading her mind and anticipating it before Octavia had even though of it. And after so many years of training together, she might as well have been.

“Blake is trying to fight her opponent off, but Diyoza has a strong hold on her and easily-“

Octavia suddenly used her left leg to help herself up and reversed their position, trapping Charmaine onto the mattress with her body. She straddled her, her hands firmly holding her forearms up and blocking her legs down with hers.

“Oh, what a turn of events!” the martial art instructor exclaimed proudly. “Blake unpredictably takes the upper hand using her famous low single and Diyoza is now stuck.”

“Fuck, O!” Charmaine said with a chuckle, trying to knock the other woman over with a roll of her hips since her limbs were either trapped or useless.

“But she hasn’t said her last word! She fights back, is she trying to use the legendary mermaid strike to throw Blake off her?” Octavia said with a devilish smile, clearly proud of herself for keeping the upper hand and Charmaine tried again to get out of the lock by grinding her hips harder. “I think she definitely is!”

Since rolling her hips up was leading absolutely nowhere, Charmaine rolled onto left her side as if she wanting to lie on her belly instead of on her back. A squeal of surprise escaped the other woman, enough for her to let go of the Colonel’s arms. Charmaine rolled over and Octavia fell face first into the pillows. Charmaine seized the opportunity and crawled on top of Octavia’s back.

“Oh! And Diyoza’s back into the fight. Only ten seconds for Blake to get out of this difficult hold before we declare Diyoza the winner.”

Octavia kicked her legs and angled her torso so her right arm could reach blindly behind her and hopefully manage to touch the other woman.

“Diyoza is hitting the ring once, she’s hitting the ring twice,” Charmaine announced as her hand slapped the mattress. “She’s-AH!”

Octavia’s free hand managed to grab Charmaine’s neck and pulled her down into a kiss. The angle was awkward and only half-satisfactory, so Charmaine was quick to let go of her hold onto Octavia in order for them both to be comfortable. The brunette rolled onto her back, deepening the kiss as Charmaine’s body melted on top of hers.

“Uh, gross,” a little voice made itself known and the two women pulled apart.

Even though she was displeased by the sight of her mother and step mother kissing, Hope still entered the bedroom.

Octavia looked at Charmaine, her eyes full of mischief and the Colonel agreed, nodding her head. She gently grabbed a clueless Hope by the midsection and pulled her onto the bed. Both women attacked their daughter with kisses, her cheerful shrieks breaking the silence of the room. They only stopped when they had Hope crying uncle.

“Come on, time for bed, little one. School tomorrow,” Charmaine said as she kissed her daughter’s forehead.

“Nuh-uh, we have to do your check up first,” Hope said with her hands on her hips.

Her face and her tone were far too serious to leave room for discussion.

“Check up away then, Dr Diyoza,” Charmaine said with a grin, coughing to mask the laugh that was threatening to leave her throat at Hope’s solemnity.

And so Hope and Octavia started their usual Charmaine check-up. They checked her toes, making sure they were all accounted for with the help of the “little piggy” nursery song. They moved upwards, checking as they went along. Reaching her belly, they examined the stretch marks adorning it to make sure that was indeed Charmaine Diyoza and not an imposter. Octavia ran her fingers along the jagged scar adorning Charmaine’s neck and shivers ran through the Colonel’s body like a sound wave. Charmaine didn’t think she would ever tire of the look emerging on Octavia’s face whenever she would look at it. Her scar being extremely visible, she was used to people eying her warily, or frightened. Yet, Octavia would always look at it with great wonder.

_“I’m thankful for it,” Octavia said lovingly while her fingertips ran along the scar length._

_“Thankful that I have a big ugly scary scar on my neck telling the world I tried to commit suicide at one point?” Charmaine raised an eyebrow and looked at the brunette like she was crazy._

_“Yeah, I’m thankful and glad for that scar,” Octavia’s brows furrowed._

_“Did someone kick you in the head at training today or somethin’?”_

_“Fuck off, I’m being serious. This is my favorite scars of yours.”_

_It was Charmaine’s turn to furrow her eyebrows. “Why?”_

_“Because I have a scar to look at. Because that scar means I have you, that I have a Charmaine to love. A Hope to love. The only reason you wouldn’t have that scar was if you had died. No scar to look at means no Charmaine and no Hope. So, yeah. You bet I fucking love that scar,” Octavia gently bent down and tenderly kissed it._

_Charmaine held back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Hope was still too little to understand its implications, she just knew her mama had a scar on her neck like she had a scar on her knee or on her elbow. And none of her previous serious partners had ever made this part of her feel beautiful. They had accepted it and had made her feel not feel so self-conscious about it, but making it feel meaningful and empowering? Never. And while Charmaine didn’t look at her scar this way, it was exhilarating to know Octavia did. That she saw a sign of strength where Charmaine only saw remorse._

Charmaine was pulled out of her reverie when she felt soft lips pressed against the said scar, first Octavia’s then Hope’s.

“Neck scar, checked,” Octavia said with a bemused smile that Charmaine couldn’t help but return.

They then checked her vision, making her count fingers and the absence of mistakes earned her a high five. Last but not least, Hope laid her head onto her chest to listen to her heartbeat. Octavia grabbed her wrist, pressing her index until she could the strong pulse underneath her fingertip.

“Verdict, Docs?”

Octavia and Hope purposely looked at each other and confidently nodded.

“Every limb is accounted for, no new bullet scars or any wound whatsoever. You seem to be in perfect health, Ms Diyoza,” Octavia concluded.

“Thank God. My partner and my daughter are a real pain in my ass when I have as much as a scrap.”

“Please, this is the first you come back home with nothing. You usually have a busted limb and two new bullets holes. I’m within a hair’s breadth to throwing a party.”

“I thought you dug chicks with scars?” Charmaine smirked sassily.

“I don’t think O meant it as a challenge, Mama,” Hope giggled while Octavia glared at her.

Charmaine laughed.

“Thank you, little one. See? Even she gets it.”

“You two are ganging up on me now, uh?”

“When you’re acting like an idiot, yeah,” Octavia muttered pointedly under her breath.

“Love makes you blind, not deaf, baby. I heard that!” Charmaine chuckled.

“Good.”

Hope joined her mother under the sheets and cuddled on her side. Her head found its place just above her breasts and she re-adjusted her body until she was in a comfortable position. They kept on bantering for a while, gently teasing each other with a familiar ease. Eventually, both women noticed that Hope wasn’t participating anymore so they looked down at the kid. Her mouth was wide-opened, drooling all over Charmaine’s pajamas, and her eyes were shut.

“She had trouble falling asleep yesterday. She was so excited to see you today.”

“I bet she wasn’t the only one,” Charmaine said knowingly and Octavia shrugged. “Come here, baby.”

She opened her other arm up and Octavia gladly glided next to her, mirroring Hope’s position. Charmaine dropped a kiss on top of head and her hand tenderly caressed the brunette’s lower back. They talked for a little more, in soft tones as to not wake the child up from her peaceful slumber, about nothing and everything, until they were both yawning every few other words.

“Let’s go to sleep, Maine. We both had quite an eventful day. We’ll have all the time in the world to catch up once we’re rested.”

“Okay,” the Colonel whispered back, too tired to argue.

“I love you,” Octavia whispered against girlfriend’s neck and blindly kissed it.

“I love you too, Octavia.”

There, with Hope and Octavia in her arms, Charmaine felt like she could truly breathe for the first time in six month.


End file.
